


Draco Malfoy meets a Dark Lord

by DrinkCocoa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Humour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrinkCocoa/pseuds/DrinkCocoa
Summary: Young Draco Malfoy visits the zoo on the same day as the Dursleys and Harry. Draco notices Harry talking to a snake, and the blond boy is convinced that he met the next Dark Lord.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy loved going to the zoo. To his young mind, everything about it was fascinating. The animals, the sights, the smells, and most of all, the people, so much different from his family and their usual company. The people here were Muggles. They lived their lives without magic, but to Draco, something about them had always seemed _magical_.

"Let's go see the lions, dad!" the blond boy said, pulling his father's hand and walking in what he knew to be the shortest route towards his favourite animals. "Come on, dad, speed up!" Draco shouted and his father finally adjusted to his tempo, albeit not without an unnecessarily loud sigh. Draco giggled at his father's antics and sped up even more. He just really loved the lions.

Lucius Malfoy hated going to the zoo. Why his son would be so eager to visit a place so… _Muggle_ , he didn't know. But as much as he disliked the place itself, his son's bright smile more than made up for it. What worried Lucius the most was his son's unnatural fascination with lions. _Lions,_ of all things. If the boy became a Gryffindor… no, that wasn't possible… or maybe he should send him to Durmstrang, just in case…

As his father debated with himself silently, young Draco was now admiring the magnificent lions that were currently relaxing in the sun. Draco let out a sigh of disappointment. Whenever he visited, the lions were always _relaxing._ Why couldn't he ever catch them while they were hunting or even playing around?

His disappointment must've showed on his face, as his father eyed him curiously. "What's wrong, Draco? Did you finally get bored of these lions?" asked Lucius, a hint of hope in his voice.

Draco shook his head with a determined look on his face. "No, they're amazing. But I wish they would do… something more interesting," he said.

His father looked around them and to his satisfaction, a zoo worker was just walking past them, humming along to some Muggle melody that made Lucius wince. He cleared his throat loudly and said, "Excuse me."

The worker stopped and turned towards them, no longer humming. "Yes? Can I help you with anything?" he asked, not really used to people asking questions in a zoo. Well, this man didn't look exactly _normal…_

"Why aren't these lions doing anything? My son would like to see them hunt," Lucius said and eyed the worker with a cold look.

"I didn't say that…" whispered Draco, who was nevertheless excited by the prospect of seeing the lions hunt.

The worker didn't look impressed. "Sir, this is a zoo. The lions don't hunt, we feed them," he explained, making sure to speak slowly, thinking that he was dealing with a person who wasn't in their right mind.

"Well, I wish to see them hunt," said Lucius. He would never lose to a Muggle. Never.

The worker raised his eyebrows. "With all due respect, I don't care," he said.

Now this was when Lucius Malfoy truly started to get angry. A Muggle, dismissing _him?_ "Now listen here, you little…"

Draco sighed and stopped paying attention to what they were saying. He knew trying to stop his father would ultimately prove pointless. His father would never lose an argument, especially not with a Muggle. Draco looked around himself and decided this was a great opportunity to walk around the zoo without his father's supervision. He quietly sneaked off, making his way deeper into the zoo. His father was too busy shouting at the Muggle to notice and Draco let out a satisfied sigh as he successfully got away.

Draco walked around the zoo for a while, not really paying attention to where he was going. After a few minutes, something caught his attention. _The reptile house._ This could be fun.

He entered cautiously, looking around the dark and cool interior. All sorts of lizards were crawling and slithering behind the glass and Draco struggled not to wince. Snakes were just _scary._ He noticed that he wasn't alone and some Muggles were also here, a big blond boy around his age was whining about something to his parents. Draco couldn't help it and stared at the fattest boy he had ever seen - the Muggle looked like a pig wearing a wig and Draco barely managed not to laugh.

As he continued his walk through the reptile house, Draco noticed another boy, this one far smaller than the other. The boy was wearing clothes that were far too big for his scrawny frame ('Was Muggle fashion really that weird?') and Draco was ready to dismiss him as just another Muggle boy, until he noticed the boy's face. _His glasses…_ No, it wasn't possible. _The scar!_ At that moment, Draco was too shocked to move. What in the world was Harry Potter doing here, in a Muggle zoo? And why was he dressed like that?

Draco took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally for his first interaction with his idol. He needed to make a good first impression if he wanted to befriend Harry. But as he finally took a step in the boy's direction, Draco froze once again. Harry Potter was _talking_ to the biggest snake in the zoo! Harry Potter was a parselmouth!

And at that moment, the glass suddenly vanished and the giant snake slithered out of the building, winking to Harry on its way out. Draco felt sweat on his forehead and he was too shocked to move as the fat Muggle family closed in on Harry. Draco turned around and ran, not wanting to see what the boy who lived would do with a bunch of Muggles attacking him. Draco didn't want any nightmares.

* * *

After a few minutes of frantically running around the zoo, Draco finally managed to find his father. The boy stopped and tried to regain his composure, but his father had noticed him already.

"Ah, Draco, where have you been? In your absence I managed to convince the Muggle to go inside the lion reserve. I expect we'll get to see them… hunt," Lucius said smugly, clearly proud of his accomplishment.

However, Draco shook his head, still breathing heavily. "It doesn't matter, dad, I want to go home now, please."

Lucius Malfoy eyed his son and nodded. "Alright then, grab my hand and I'll apparate us home," he said and his son grabbed his hand immediately.

They apparated away with a loud _crack_ , just as a certain Muggle whispered, "Good kitty..."

* * *

"Now, Draco, will you tell me what that was about? You looked panicked," said Lucius to his son, as they sat inside their cosy kitchen. Draco slurped on his cocoa and sighed.

"I saw Harry Potter," he whispered and Lucius's eyebrows shot upwards.

"And?" Lucius asked, not really understanding why that would be the cause of his son's behaviour. He knew Draco had something of a celebrity crush on the Potter boy, but clearly not to this extent? Sending him to Durmstrang was becoming a more and more appealing idea.

"I saw him… talking to _snakes_ ," the boy said and a shiver ran down his spine. Lucius's face paled drastically and he grabbed his glass with more force than was necessary.

"Are you certain of this?" he asked, hoping for his son to be imagining things.

"Yes," Draco said.

Lucius sighed, his face seeming to age by years in just a few seconds. "If it's true, Draco, then you absolutely have to befriend him."

* * *

For the first time in his life, Draco was ready to admit that he was scared. Rumors around the train all pointed to this compartment. Here, Harry Potter was supposed to sit. And here, Draco would befriend him.

The blond boy took a deep breath and knocked on the compartment doors. After a moment, Harry Potter slid the doors open and Draco took a peek inside. There were sweets scattered everywhere, including the floor, and another boy was shoving something forcefully down his throat. Draco's face paled even more. Did Harry steal all that candy from the other children? Torture them into giving their sweets away? And oh by Merlin, was the ginger boy being tortured into eating all of them?

Draco dropped to his knees and bowed. "Draco Malfoy, at your service my Lord, please don't hurt me," he said, his voice shaky from the fear. With his head still down, Draco heard the ginger boy choke. Did his torture result in death? Would Harry make him take the blame?

And with these frantic thoughts racing through his head, Draco fainted, and a very confused Harry Potter tried to look for help.


	2. Chapter 2

“Wake up, boy,” a female voice said.

Draco slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the bright surroundings. “Whe… where am I?” he asked, his voice raspy. 

“Drink this,” the woman who was standing beside him commanded and he gulped down the warm liquid gratefully.

As his head cleared, Draco remembered what had happened earlier. _That means this has to be…_

“You’re in the Hospital Wing, Mr. Malfoy. You fainted on the Hogwarts Express. Oh, I’m the Nurse here, call me Madam Pomfrey,” the woman explained.

“Oh… hello,” Draco said. “What time is it?” he asked.

“The perfect time for you to leave, Mr. Malfoy. If you hurry up, you will still manage to catch up with the other first-years before the Sorting Ceremony begins. Come on now, you will be perfectly fine,” the Nurse said and ushered him out of the room.

“My my, just how weak can someone be, to faint during the train ride…” Madam Pomfrey said out loud and sighed. “I have a feeling we’ll see each other often, Mr. Malfoy.”

* * *

A little bit sweaty from the run, Draco managed to find the other first-years waiting to enter the Great Hall. He tried to fix his appearance and put on a smug persona. He combed his platinum hair with his hand, and walked up to the other children slowly.

“Draco, are you okay?” His two faithful companions walked up to him. Which one of them had voiced the question, Draco didn’t know.

“I’m perfectly fine, of course,” he said nonchalantly and eyed the crowd carefully. After a second, he spotted Harry Potter, chatting with… _the boy from the compartment?_

Draco’s legs almost failed him for the second time that day. He managed to grab onto something at the very last second, while his brain started to think of possible explanations.

_The boy choked. I heard it. And now he’s here, chatting and smiling with his murderer. How is this possible?_

_Oh Merlin._

_Oh no._

_Harry had not only killed the boy. He resurrected him too! And wiped his memories as well, surely!_

With these thoughts racing through his young mind, Draco was suddenly aware of someone looking at him. _Oh no…_ He tried to compose himself and catch his breath, but it proved fruitless. Harry and the other boy walked up to him, an action which caught the attention of most of the crowd.

“Hey, are you okay? You hit your head pretty bad…” Harry said as he closed down onto him.

Draco was staring at the pair of boys in front of him, trying hard not to appear as terrified as he actually felt. _He is a complete psycho… He’s trying to act concerned, but he’s actually checking if I told on him…_

“Ye… yes, well, I’m doing fine, just fine, perfectly okay, never better, haha…” Draco winced as even he noticed that his attempt at sounding nonplussed failed terribly.

Harry’s friend… _victim…_ raised his eyebrows. “I’m Ron Weasley by the way. Didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier, cause of… you know,” he said sheepishly.

Draco grimaced. “A pleasure to meet you, I’m Draco Malfoy.” _Well, being a victim of the Dark Lord would be a suitable place for a Weasley. At least that’s what father would say._

Ron eyed the blond boy suspiciously.

“So… excited about the Sorting?” Harry asked, his question directed at noone in particular.

Ron shrugged. “Somewhat. I figure I’ll end up in Gryffindor, like my brothers. I just hope that the troll we’ll be fighting isn’t too strong. I mean, my brothers taught me a spell or two, so I should be okay, but what about you guys?”

Harry gave them a forced smile. “I’ll be fine, probably. At least I hope so.” He eyed Draco’s still sweaty form with concern. “But what about you, shouldn’t you get a note from the nurse or something? You should probably rest now, not duel a troll.”

Draco was offended, but the Dark Lord might’ve been right. Draco was still trembling slightly. Surely they wouldn’t make him fight a troll in this condition, he was too weak… _No. I’m not weak. I’m a Malfoy. We are powerful. We are as strong as lions, and as… no, wait, not like lions, that was a mistake, I didn’t mean it like tha_ _—_

**“GRYFFINDOR!”**

The applause was rather muffled when the Sorting Hat announced his new House. Draco walked up to his table, not meeting anybody’s eyes. 

_My father will hear about this. Oh Merlin, he will._


	3. Chapter 3

Surprisingly, Harry Potter was also sorted into Gryffindor. The applause was deafening but Draco wasn't annoyed at the clearly visible favoursim. He was applauding the Dark Lord too, which earned him suspicious looks from the other students.

Draco waved to Harry and the boy sat down next to him with a smile.

_Incredible._ _He somehow tricked the Sorting Hat into sorting him here. But why? Ah, surely to spy on the stupid Gryffindors. A plot truly befitting the Dark Lord._

"So, how are you, Draco? Isn't it nice that we're in the same House?" asked Harry quietly while the Sorting continued.

Draco flinched. "Yes, it's very nice. Gryffindor is a… great House. I'm sure we'll fit right in."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

Draco shook his head. "No, no, nothing's wrong. It's just that… my father… and to be fair, everyone, including me, expected me to get sorted into Slytherin."

"Oh. Will they be angry at you?" asked Harry with a concerned face.

Draco shrugged. "They will. But I will try to send a letter home today, to try and… minimize the damage, or something."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea," said Harry and they began to pay attention to the Sorting once more.

A theory started to form in Draco's mind. A theory which seemed to be confirmed when the Weasley boy was also sorted into Gryffindor.

_I knew it! Sorting me here, it was all Harry's plan! I'm not actually a Gryffindor, it's just what the Dark Lord wanted! He needed me, his right hand man, and Weasley, his victim, to be close!_

"You okay there, Malfoy?" a voice interrupted his triumphal musings.

Draco noticed that some of the other students were looking at him with baffled faces. He might have been putting his fist into the air, crying with joy.

"Of course I'm okay, what about you, Weasley?" he asked, trying hard to hide his happiness.

Ron's eyebrows shot upwards. "Err… I'm okay too, glad to be a Gryffindor. But it's weird to be in the same House as a _Malfoy_ ," he said, practically spitting the last word.

Harry glanced at his red-haired friend with annoyance. "Hey, don't be rude. It seems like the poor guy is in enough trouble as it is. Don't bully him just because he's weak."

_Poor guy? Weak? I've never been more insulted in my life…_

Draco started preparing for an inevitable retort, filled with insults and swear words, when suddenly, Harry patted him on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Draco. It just seems like some wizarding families think they're better than others. Don't worry, I can tell the wrong sort myself," he said, looking at Ron with disapproval.

The red-haired boy flushed with embarrassment.

Draco did too, but for a different reason. _Harry Potter, the Dark Lord himself, just patted me on the shoulder! That's it, I've been deemed worthy!_

"No worries, it's okay, I'm okay," Draco said quickly. "Let's all be friends, we're Housemates after all."

Harry nodded with a smile.

Ron also nodded, although still unsure what to make of the Malfoy boy.

After the feast was over, and they had all made themselves comfortable in their new dormitories, Draco sneaked out of the Common Room to send a letter to his father. He thought carefully about what to write and finally decided on the content before sending the letter and hurrying back to his dormitory and falling asleep after a long, tiring day.

* * *

"Ah, there's a letter from Draco!" Lucius Malfoy said excitedly, waking his wife up. He took the letter in his hands and sat down on a luxurious armchair to read it. "Let's see how our little Slytherin is doing," he said and giggled while opening the envelope.

_Dear Father,_

_Hogwarts is great. Just as great as I imagined from all your stories. The day was rather uneventful. Feast was lovely and our dormitory is very comfortable. I said hello to Uncle Severus from you. I have two new friends. You will be pleased to hear that I'm now best friends and roommates with Harry Potter, who is a Gryffindor. I'm looking forward to the classes. How are you and Mother doing?_

_Love, Draco_

"How is he, darling?" Narcissa asked, a little bit of concern visible on her delicate face.

Lucius smiled. "It seems that he's doing great, love. Here, read it yourself," he said and handed her the letter.

Lucius hummed a happy tune and began writing his own letter.

"Umm… darling, have you read the letter carefully?" his wife asked him quietly.

"Hmm? Of course, I've already memorized the whole thing, that's just how I am," he said and gave her a wink.

Narcissa smiled at him with a grimace. "Then well, who is Draco's roommate?"

Lucius sighed. "Are we testing my memory now? Of course I know, his roommate is Harry Potter, a Gryffindor," he said confidently.

Narcissa kept staring at him with a small smile.

After a moment, Lucius dropped his quill. "Oh…" he voiced. "Oh dear…" he mumbled and passed out onto the armchair.

Narcissa sighed loudly. "This will be trouble…"


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Draco woke up from his sleep, he realized that he had made a grave mistake. After sending the letter yesterday, he had been too tired to do anything more than simply fall asleep on his bed.

_I forgot to close the curtains. Oh no._

His hopes of being the first one to wake up were immediately shattered when he opened his eyes and looked around the dormitory. Both Ron, and the Dark Lord were already up, looking at him. Weasley snickered and Harry punched him on the shoulder, but he couldn't hide his smile either.

"Malfoy, what is _that_?" the red-haired boy asked, pointing at the fluffy object lying on Draco's bed. "Why are you sleeping with a lion pillow?"

Draco's face flushed with embarrassment. It was his favourite pillow since he was a kid, and hugging it always helped him fall asleep. He took it with him to Hogwarts, hoping that nobody would ever notice it.

_That didn't work too well._

"Umm…" Draco started, but couldn't think of an explanation that wouldn't make him sound childish in front of the Dark Lord and his servant.

Harry chuckled. "Hey, it's okay, Draco," he said. "I also had a favourite toy. Didn't you have one, Ron?"

Ron nodded with a grimace. "Yeah, I guess. But I didn't sleep with it!" he declared and paused for a second. "Oh, I actually did a few times…" he said quietly, his face also growing red. "But it was only because I fell asleep playing with it, never on purpose!"

This time, both Harry and Draco laughed.

"See, we all did it," Harry said. "Does your lion have a name?"

Draco froze. _Oh no… Oh Merlin, no… But I have to answer, Harry asked me a question! Maybe I can lie? No, he's the Dark Lord… he tricked the Sorting Hat and resurrected Weasley, surely reading minds is even easier for him!_

"Umm…" Draco started. "His name is Harry," he said quietly, not meeting their eyes.

Ron choked on his saliva and Harry only raised his eyebrows, flushing red.

"Err…" Harry didn't seem to know what to say.

"Anyway, let's go get breakfast!" Draco exclaimed and stood up suddenly, practically running out of the room.

After a minute, he was back.

"Forgot to change from my pyjamas," he said, trying hard to avoid the looks of the other boys.

Ron snickered again but a sharp look from the Dark Lord silenced him.

"Let's go together," Harry said as Draco finished getting ready, and the unusual Gryffindor trio left the dormitory.

* * *

It seemed like his unexpected sorting still made him an object of heated debate among the Hogwarts' students, no matter their House and age. Draco noticed some of the Gryffindors, especially older ones, sending him angry glances. To his relief, the Slytherins just looked confused. Poor Crabbe and Goyle, they had no idea what to do now that their leader has abandoned them.

Draco smiled at a pair of older Gryffindors who were staring at him disapprovingly.

_Come on, try and do something, the Dark Lord will destroy you._

"Don't worry about them," Harry said after gulping down a glass of pumpkin juice. "They're dumb, you're the most Gryffindorish Gryffindor I have ever seen."

Ron nodded. "It's weird, but it might be true," he said with his mouth full.

Draco sighed. _I'm not a Gryffindor, I'm a Slytherin through and through. Just like Harry. We infiltrated the ranks of the enemy like true Slytherins!_

"Oh, the mail is here!" someone shouted from a different table, and they all looked up.

Draco spotted his owl and began to sweat nervously. _I hope father isn't too angry._

With a trembling hand, Draco opened the letter and started to read.

_My Favourite Son,_

_Your mother insisted on helping me write this letter, to 'make sure I don't write anything stupid'. She is rather silly, don't you think? Of course, I wouldn't write anything stupid. I'm perfectly content with your Sorting. After all, it's your life, Draco. If you want to be in the worst House, you're free to do so. If you want to be friends with idiots and dunderheads, you're free to do so. I'm not prejudiced in any way, I'm an intelligent and open-minded man. I'm glad that you seem to be happy, in spite of your less-than-ideal circumstances. Have fun during your classes and please write to us often._

_Love you, Lucius and Narcissa_

"Well, it could've been worse," Draco said as he finished reading. His father might be disappointed, but he will forget about it soon enough.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked.

"Yes, father isn't happy, but it's not that bad. He will get over it soon," Draco said with a smile.

After Ron was finally done with his food, they stood up and left the Great Hall together. Classes and adventure awaited.


	5. Chapter 5

After an abysmally boring period of History of Magic, taught by a senile ghost, it was time for Charms. Draco entered the classroom alongside with Harry and Ron.

They all sat together as the small professor started checking attendance.

When Flitwick said the Dark Lord's name, he fell off the pile of books he had been standing on.

Draco was impressed. _Harry wandlessely pushed the professor off! Such a great way to establish dominance! As expected of the Dark Lord…_

Harry didn't seem tired from his wandless spell. _Just how powerful can someone be?_

However, something unexpected happened later, when they were asked to perform their very first spell, the Levitation Charm. Draco had been certain that Harry could perform such a spell with his eyes closed, and probably while unconcious, too. But looking at Harry trying hard to make the little feather fly, it seemed like a difficult task, even for him.

_What is going on? Is he trying to hide his abilities? Ah, he must be, he's the master spy after all!_

"Mr. Malfoy, aren't you going to try?" professor Flitwick asked and Draco was suddenly aware of his surroundings again. "You've been staring at Mr. Potter for five minutes now, I don't understand. And it's not even like he's doing something worth observing, to be honest," the professor continued, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

The only one who had made the feather fly had been one Hermione Granger, their bushy-haired Housemate. Draco glanced at her with a scowl.

_Okay, it's time for me to try._

Draco concentrated as hard as he could, spoke the incantation and waved his wand, wishing for the feather to fly.

It didn't move at all. Draco glanced at Harry nervously. _I can't make the Dark Lord think I'm incompetent or he will find a different right-hand man…_ "Or woman…" Draco whispered while glancing at the Granger girl. To his surprise, she was sitting right beside him, staring at him intently. Draco flinched and almost dropped his wand.

"You know, you didn't say the incantation properly," she started. "You need to make the ' _gar_ ' in ' _wingardium_ ' nice and long."

_Is she trying to humiliate me? How dare she speak like that to a Malfoy?_

"Oh, thank you, we will try that," Harry, who must've been eavesdropping, said, breaking Draco's train of thought.

"Err… we will?" Draco asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Harry nodded. "Of course we will, there must be a reason why Hermione succeeded and we didn't, right? Might as well give it a try."

Hermione smiled at Harry, showing her rabbit-like teeth in all of their glory.

Draco glanced at Harry again, as the Dark Lord tried casting the spell, this time paying attention to the way he pronounced the incantation.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" he said and to Draco's surprise, the feather began to fly around the spacious classroom.

"That's it, that's it!" Flitwick shouted, almost falling off the book pile once more. "Great job Mr. Potter!"

Draco nodded his head, full of admiration for the Dark Lord. _I guess that's why he is the Dark Lord and I'm only a servant. He isn't afraid to learn, even from someone like Granger… I must reconsider my mindset…_

With newfound determination, Draco also tried casting the spell properly, and to his satisfaction, the feather started levitating instantly. He glanced at Hermione once more and she gave him another cheerful smile. His concentration broke and the feather landed on Ron's head.

"Hey, it tickles!" Ron protested and shook the feather off.

After a few moments, the Weasley boy also managed to cast the spell correctly, to professor Flitwick's delight. The four of them earned a good few points for Gryffindor and cheerfully left the classroom in a pursuit of a well-deserved rest and food in the Great Hall.

* * *

When they sat down to eat at the Gryffindor table, it became apparent that the Granger girl decided that they were all friends now. Draco wasn't impressed. _She is definitely trying to steal my place at the Dark Lord's side!_

But to his annoyance, the Dark Lord himself didn't seem to mind her presence at all. He chatted with her pleasantly, while Draco and Ron just sat and ate in silence. Weasley seemed confused, but also happy not to be bothered while he stuffed another chicken wing into his mouth. _This has to be a part of the Dark Lord's experiment. Nobody can eat so much. Is Harry trying to check just how fat can a person get? But why would he carry out an experiment like that? Well, it's better not to question the Dark Lord…_

"Draco?"

The blond boy snapped out of his musings and noticed that both Harry and Granger were staring at him.

"Yes, my lo… umm, Harry?" he asked.

Granger looked between the two of them suspiciously.

"We were just talking about which class we were most interested in," Harry explained. "What are you looking forward to?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "Potions, probably," he said. "My uncle is the Potions professor, you see."

Ron choked on his food once again. " _Snape_ is your uncle? My brothers told me he's terrible!"

Harry glanced at Ron with disapproval. "Are you sure they're not just prejudiced? Your family seems to hold a lot of grudges, to be honest," he said.

Hermione nodded. "That's right, he is a teacher, so he can't be that bad," she said. "You need to really stop being such a biased person, Ron…"

Weasley's face grew red with embarrassment again. "Err, alright, sorry, I'll give him a chance, I guess…"

Draco almost felt sorry for the Weasley boy.

"Anyway, isn't it about time we get going?" Harry asked them while standing up.

"That's right, we have Defence Against the Dark Arts in the morning tomorrow, we need to sleep early," Hermione said.

The three of them got up, although Ron didn't bother hiding the fact that he took some more food with him. They went back to their dormitories after saying their goodbyes and soon enough, they were all asleep. They had a long week ahead of them.


	6. Chapter 6

At the breakfast the following morning, they all sat together, eating and chatting pleasantly. To his surprise, Draco noticed that he didn't know who the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor was. He must've been too occupied with other things to really pay attention to it.

"Who is the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?" he asked the others.

Hermione glanced at him with surprise. "You don't know? Quirinus Quirrell is the Professor, he's always wearing that turban," she said.

"I met him once," Harry added. "When I was in the Diagon Alley with Hagrid."

Draco raised his eyebrows. _It's only fitting that the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor met the Dark Lord himself. But what did they do?_

"How was he?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "He seemed okay, a bit nervous maybe."

Ron grimaced. "Shouldn't the Professor of that class be… brave, or something?"

Hermione looked at the red-head with annoyance. "Don't say it like that Ron. Maybe he is nervous cause he knows the true dangers of the Dark Arts?" she asked with an excited edge to her voice.

Draco nodded. "That must be it," he said. _The Dark Lord met with him and showed him the power of the Dark Side! No wonder he's nervous now…_

Ron and Harry still didn't seem convinced as they all left the Great Hall a few minutes later.

* * *

After the class was finished, Draco looked at Harry with even more respect than before. _To terrify someone as much as Harry did, just what could he have done? The Professor seemed absolutely horrified of the Dark Lord, stuttering and jumping at every noise for the whole period._

"I think he's just a coward, to be honest," Ron said after they have left the classroom.

Even Hermione seemed inclined to agree with him.

Draco smirked. _They don't know the truth…_ The blond boy noticed Harry rubbing his head. _He must be trying hard not to laugh, to keep his disguise._

Their next class was supposed to be Potions and Draco looked forward to meeting his uncle. He decided to enter the classroom early, alone, to have a chat with him.

Leaving his friends behind, Draco pushed the door cautiously. The classroom was dark, but he could see the tall figure of his favourite uncle, standing in front of a cauldron.

"Who dares to enter the…" the man started with a scary voice, but stopped when he glanced at the boy who entered. "Oh, Draco," he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

_He probably hoped he would get to scare off a cowardly first-year._ Draco grinned. "Hello, uncle," he said with a smile.

Snape nodded. "What is it, Draco?" he asked curiously. "How are you feeling? I heard that you fainted on the Express."

Draco blushed. "Yes, it's nothing to worry about, I'm fine," he said. "How are you uncle?"

Severus raised his eyebrows and resumed to check something inside of the cauldron. "Fine, if not for the dunderheads and morons that I unfortunately have to teach."

Draco chuckled. "Yes, about that…" he started and his uncle glanced at him again. "Could you do me a favour, uncle?"

"What kind of favour?" Snape asked, his focus again on his potion.

"You know, I'm a Gryffindor," Draco started. "I know that you don't like them, but could you go easy on us, at least as long as I'm a Gryffindor myself?" he asked, raising his voice hopefully.

Severus kept quiet, but his face looked pained.

"Oh, and also, Harry Potter is my best friend, so could you be nice to him?" Draco continued. "Pretty please, uncle?" he asked, trying his best to make a cute face that always worked wonders with his parents.

His uncle didn't seem happy about the whole situation. Draco could swear that Severus looked a bit nervous, which was unusual for him to say the least. "I'll… see what I can do," he said with a grimace and sighed. "I'm not ready for this," he whispered and motioned for Draco to leave.

Draco said a quiet goodbye and left the classroom, making sure to close the door delicately. His friends and a bunch of other first years were waiting for the class to begin. Gryffindors and Slytherins were keeping themselves apart, some of them staring at each other with disdain.

To his surprise, before Draco could reach Harry, Ron and Hermione, he was stopped by two big Slytherin students.

"Crabbe, Goyle, how are you doing?" he asked immediately, cursing himself for completely forgetting about his own two minions.

"Hey Draco," the fatter one of them said. "Err… we just wanted to ask, if there's anything you'd like us to do, or something. We are kind of lost without you, you know, we don't know what to do."

Draco smiled at them sadly. _That's right, they always just followed me when we were younger, so they must be confused now. What should I do with them? Ah, that's right, why not use them as spies?_

"Yes, I have a very important mission for you two," he said and the faces of the two boys lightened up instantly. "I need you to be my spies in the Slytherin House, you understand?"

Both boys shook their heads.

"Perfect." _They are too dumb to be spies. A great disguise!_ "You will try your best to know every rumour and everything that's happening in the Slytherin House, and you will report to me whenever you have something, alright?"

This time, only one of them shook his head, the other one just looked confused.

"I have something," the confused one said. "Potions, in a few minutes."

Draco nodded encouragingly. "That's it, that's what you have to do! Great job, Crabbe!"

The boy seemed even more confused now.

"I'm Crabbe," the other boy said.

Draco shook his head. "It doesn't matter, you're a unit! You're two, but you work as one!" he said, his voice a little bit too loud and too high.

But it seemed to work. The fat duo looked pumped up. "Alright, Draco, we will do our best," one of them declared, and they both walked away, in the direction of their Housemates. From what Draco overheard, they were discussing chocolate pie.

_Oh well, at least they have something to do now. And maybe they'll actually tell me something interesting sometimes._

With his new master spies recruited, Draco reunited with his Gryffindor friends and awaited the first Potions class with the infamous terrifying Professor.

_I just hope uncle Severus grants my favour._


	7. Chapter 7

When the time was right, the students finally entered the darkly-lit Potions classroom. Draco and his small group of Gryffindor friends all stood next to each other, in the middle of the nervous-looking Gryffindor crowd. The Slytherins seemed much more relaxed, confident even, as they assumed that they would get preferential treatment in this class.

To Draco's surprise, his uncle disappeared. The blond boy chuckled to himself. _He likes a dramatic entrance._

After a few moments, the door to the classroom opened once again, revealing the ominous form of the Potions Professor. He walked to the front of the classroom quickly, not looking at any of the students. His black robe made it seem as if he was flying.

_I would be scared too, if I didn't know how nice he actually was._

The students properly intimidated, the Professor started his speech about the importance of Potions and the lack of intellect found in the classroom.

Draco didn't bother to listen to it attentively. He had already heard his uncle's rants many times before. With curious eyes, the blond boy scanned the crowd of students. Ron seemed very nervous, his hands were shaking slightly. Harry didn't look as nervous, merely interested. Hermione looked excited, like she wanted to prove herself to the scary Professor. Crabbe and Goyle were sleeping.

"...morons," Snape finished his speech. "Today, we will start by checking your ability to read and follow instructions. You will brew a simple potion, the Cure for Boils, working in pairs. Start now," he said and with a wave of his wand, the instructions appeared on the blackboard.

Draco smiled. He knew how to make this potion already. He glanced sideways, wanting to pair up with the Dark Lord, but to his surprise, Harry was already working with Weasley. He needed to be faster next time. He glanced in the other direction, only to find Hermione looking at him with a smile. He sighed, shrugged, and they got to work.

"Let's get the ingredients," he said and Hermione nodded. "To be honest, I already know how to brew this potion, and a few more," Draco said smugly.

Hermione chirped up at that revelation. "That's good, I also know the instructions by heart, so we should brew it correctly."

To Draco's pleasant surprise, they actually made a nice duo. Hermione prepared the ingredients and he added them at the right moment, and stirred the Potion with a confident hand.

In the middle of the class, Professor Snape began to walk around the classroom, inspecting every cauldron carefully. He made a few comments here and there, pointing out the mistakes of the students.

"I don't know what this is, but it surely isn't the Potion you were supposed to brew," he said, inspecting the cauldron of Draco's Slytherin spies.

"How do we make it better, Professor, sir?" Goyle asked.

This seemed to surprise Snape, as he raised his eyebrows. "Start over. And this time, you can't just read the instructions. You have to follow them," he added with a snark.

With this, the Professor walked away, heading toward the Gryffindors. He walked up to Harry's and Ron's cauldron, glancing inside and sniffing scrutinizingly.

Both Ron and the Dark Lord looked very nervous.

Snape began to open his mouth, but then, he glanced at Draco, who flashed him a hopeful smile. With a roll of his eyes, Snape walked away without saying anything.

A few moments later, the ominous Professor inspected Draco's and Hermione's cauldron. After a moment, he nodded his head slightly. "It is acceptable for now, be careful not to ruin it."

Draco smiled at Hermione. "We're doing well for now, we just need to add the porcupine quills and we're done," he said.

Hermione nodded happily. "That's right, don't forget to wave your wand over the cauldron to finish," she added, quoting straight from the Potions book.

After a few more minutes, they were finished.

Snape, noticing this, inspected their Potion one more time. "Good work," he said. "Five points to Gryffindor."

"Good job, we made it," Draco whispered to Hermione, as they observed the rest of the students still struggling with the Potion.

"Thank you, we make a good team!" she replied with a smile.

Draco glanced away just in time to notice a black mist escaping Harry's cauldron. _This doesn't look good._

With an air of unearned confidence, Ron dropped something into the cauldron. After a second, their Potion exploded.

Draco tried to cover his face, but it proved unnecessary, as Snape cast a silent spell, vanishing the remnants of the cauldron before they could hurt any of the students.

Ron and Harry were both bright red with embarrassment as the Professor walked up to them swiftly.

"Incredible," he said. "To make a Potion this simple explode, you must've failed to follow the instructions so greatly… One point to Gryffindor. For… the sheer unprecedented magnitude of your failure."

Everyone looked dumbfounded at that, Harry and Ron most of all. After a moment, the Slytherin students started to protest loudly.

" _Silence,_ " Snape said sharply. "I'm not done yet. Minus one point to Gryffindor for you failure," he added. "And minus two points to Slytherin for being so loud and obnoxious."

Draco was impressed with his uncle. He managed to insult both Harry and Ron anyway, while still seemingly keeping his promise to Draco.

At the end of the class, their Potion was still the best one, even though a few more pairs managed to finish brewing semi-successfully.

Draco was left wondering about his friends' failed Potion. _Why did the Dark Lord let Weasley do that to their Potion? Maybe he wanted an excuse to never work with the red-haired boy ever again? That might be it…_

Still undecided, Draco left the classroom alongside his three friends, hoping to rest and eat a hot meal in the Great Hall. He needed a way to get closer to the Dark Lord somehow, to learn more about him. _But how can I do that?_


	8. Chapter 8

As it turned out, Draco's agreement with his uncle had some far-reaching consequences that the blond boy had failed to foresee. The Slytherin first-years weren't pleased with the results and Draco noticed a lot of them sending him angry looks over the next few days. Draco tried not to notice, but even he was beginning to feel nervous. He tried his best to never leave the protection of the Dark Lord.

"Finally, we'll get to fly!" Ron said excitedly as they walked out of the castle. The first Flying lesson was supposed to start in a few minutes and all of the first-year students gathered together for it.

Draco was confident in his abilities, but his bushy-haired friend seemed about ready to faint at any given moment. "You'll be okay Hermione, we'll only learn the basics today," he said, trying to soothe her nerves. "And besides, flying is fun!"

Hermione glanced at him and smiled, still just as nervous as before. The two of them grew closer together in the last couple of days, beginning an unexpected and unusual friendship. Harry and Ron also seemed to grow fond of the Muggle-born girl, and the four of them spent most of their free time together.

After a moment, they all stood together, waiting for the Flying Professor to show up. Draco looked in the direction of the Slytherins. They were chatting quietly while sneaking glances at him and his friends. Draco held his head straight, trying his best to appear confident and undisturbed.

"Alright, what are you waiting for?" the sound of Professor Hooch's voice interrupted their stare-down. "Stand on the left side of your brooms, held out your right hand and say _up_."

The students quickly shuffled and did what she instructed them to do. Draco's broom went up to his hand instantly, and so did the Dark Lord's. Most of the other students seemed to have a bit more trouble, but soon enough, they all managed to grab their brooms.

When they were instructed to mount their brooms, something went wrong. A chubby Gryffindor boy, Neville Longbottom, started to rise into the air. After a few moments of completely uncontrolled flight, he was back on the ground, his wrist broken.

Madam Hooch left with him in tow, threatening anyone who dared to mount their broom in her absence with expulsion.

Draco glanced at Hermione. _I don't think it'll be possible to convince her that flying is fun now._

"What a fat idiot," a Slytherin boy said, earning a few chuckles from his Housemates. The group of Slytherin first-years walked up to Draco and his friends. "That's who you are friends with now, Malfoy, right?" the boy asked with a sneer.

Draco recognized him. _Theodore Nott, an imbecile._

"We know what you did, Malfoy," the boy continued. "Asked Snape to be nice to you and your little pathetic Gryffindor friends… But just so you know, we'll make sure that you don't get away with it. You better watch out, Malfoy," he ended his speech and the Slytherin students walked away.

Draco gulped loudly. _Idiots, the lot of them._

"You okay, Draco?" Harry asked as he put a comforting hand on the blond boy's shoulder. "They're just a bunch of morons, I don't think we'll have to worry."

Hermione glanced at them nervously. "But we need to be careful now. Stick together."

Ron nodded. "Just let them try something, I'll show them what pathetic little Gryffindors can actually do."

Draco clenched his fists. _Just try to hurt my friends, I'll destroy you. Or if I don't, then surely the Dark Lord will… and if even he fails, I can just write my father._

* * *

The tension between the youngest students of the two Houses was only growing bigger as the days passed. The second Potions class wasn't a practical one. Snape taught them theory and they answered his questions. Draco and Hermione together earned more points than all of the Slytherin students combined.

The four Gryffindor friends were walking together after the class ended, when they were stopped by a tall figure dressed in green robes.

"Excuse me," Harry said as he tried to pass the figure, but he was held by a strong pair of hands and pushed back.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked, her voice impatient and annoyed.

The figure before them turned out to be an older Slytherin student. He was tall and big, and he made the impression of a delinquent.

"I heard you were misbehaving," he said. "You turned Snape against our younger students and they aren't happy. We aren't earning as much points in Potions as we used to. So, I'm supposed to teach you brats a lesson," he finished.

To Draco, he seemed like an older version of Crabbe or Goyle. Equally stupid, just older.

"So they asked an older guy to help them? A bunch of cowards," Ron said.

"Hey, they aren't cowards, they're just smart about it. Why risk it, if I can just do it for them?" the older boy said. "And anyway, I'll gladly wipe that smirk off your face, Malfoy."

"Guys, prepare your wands," Harry ordered and they all followed.

Hermione's hand shook slightly. "Shouldn't we run away? We don't stand a chance, we've been learning magic for two weeks!"

Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "There's four of us, we'll manage for sure," he said.

The older boy chuckled. "Well, well, you want a fight, huh?" he asked mockingly. "Then I'll give you one with pleasure."

Draco's hand was trembling. He knew a few spells, he read a few books in his family's library. But he never actually tried to cast them… Still, they have the Dark Lord on their side…

" _Expulso!_ " the Slytherin boy cast, a blue light escaping his wand. It hit the ground between the four Gryffindors, throwing them into the corridor walls.

Draco hit the wall and blinding pain shot through his shoulder. His eyes teary, he tried his best to stand up again. With a groan, he managed to pull himself up. Harry was also standing, looking at the two unconscious bodies of their friends.

"It seems like you don't have that much of a fight in you after all, huh?" the Slytherin mocked them, twirling his wand in his fingers.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted, but she didn't respond. "Ron!" he tried, but the red-haired boy wasn't moving at all. "We need to take them to the Hospital Wing!"

"Well, sorry, but I can't allow that," the older boy said. "You need to defeat me," he said, laughing at them.

Draco was extremely worried. Both Hermione and Ron could have been hurt badly. They needed to end this, fast. Suddenly, an idea formed in his mind.

"Harry!" he shouted, making the other boy look at him. " _Serpensortia!_ " he cast, a medium-sized snake escaping his wand and landing on the cold stony floor. It slithered toward Harry, hissing angrily.

The Slytherin boy laughed maniacally. "I don't even have to do anything, you'll just kill each other yourselves!"

The snake hissed angrily at the noise. Harry hissed at the snake. The snake rushed in the older boy's direction, ready to strike.

" _What…_ " the older boy managed to gasp, before the snake bit his leg and a scream of pain escaped his mouth.

"Harry, let's run!" Draco shouted.

Harry took Ron, and Draco took Hermione on their shoulders, making a run for it. With the adrenaline still high, they managed to find some older students nearby, who helped them get to the Hospital Wing quickly.

When the door to the Hospital Wing opened, Draco fainted, his body hurt and exhausted.

_My father will hear about this_.


	9. Chapter 9

For the second time in a matter of a few weeks, Draco woke up to a white ceiling. _I'm in the Hospital Wing…_ Draco's memories slowly returned to him, alongside a numb pain in his shoulder. He grimaced as he tried to sit up carefully.

"Draco, are you awake?" he heard a most familiar voice. "Be careful, don't try to get up too quickly."

Draco's eyesight finally got used to the whiteness and he noticed his father standing near his bed, worry clear on his face. "Dad… what are you doing here?"

"I heard that you were hurt, I came here immediately of course," Lucius said. "Are you feeling alright?"

Draco nodded slowly. He noticed that his dad really must've had arrived here in a hurry. His platinum hair wasn't combed, and he was wearing a pair of red ' _Go go Gryffindor!'_ slippers. Draco chuckled at that, feeling the soreness of his throat and grimacing.

"Here, drink some water," his dad offered.

Draco gulped down the water thankfully and sighed with satisfaction. "I'm alright. What about Harry? And Hermione, and Ron? Are they okay?" he asked, cursing himself mentally for not asking that earlier.

Lucius nodded. "According to my knowledge, your friends should be fine, yes."

"And the Slytherin boy? The one who attacked us?"

Lucius's face grew a bit paler from its usual paleness. "I have managed to convince the Headmaster to expel him. He won't bother you again."

"Thank you, dad," Draco said. "You're the best."

Lucius nodded with a serious expression. "I agree."

After a moment, they heard footsteps coming in their direction, and three figures entered. Theodore Nott, Severus Snape and an unknown to Draco man stood before him and his father.

"As the Head of the Slytherin House, I would like this _stupid boy_ ," Severus said as he pushed Theodore closer, "to apologize to you formally for arranging this attack. I have also given him a scolding and a severe detention."

Draco smiled at his uncle, then looked at the Slytherin boy, who seemed very intimidated by the adults.

"Err, I'm sorry, Malfoy," he said. "That was bad of me… it's bad to attack people. Yes, sorry."

Draco was even more embarrassed than the other boy. "It's okay, I accept your apology."

Lucius scoffed at the unknown man. "Seriously, you should've raised your son better than this," he said. "But what can you expect, from a _Slytherin_ …"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Lucius, I know you've had a… _change of heart_ of sorts, after Draco's Sorting, but you can't just insult my students. It's my job's privilege, you have to be a Professor to do that."

"Now listen here, Severus…"

Draco stopped listening to his father's and uncle's silly argument and looked around the Hospital Wing. He noticed Harry chatting with the Headmaster nearby, but he couldn't localize Ron or Hermione.

After a few minutes of a heated debate that didn't conclude with anything at all, everyone left Draco's side. He promised to write his dad often, and after a quick goodbye hug, stood up to check on Harry.

"Hey, Harry, are you okay?" he asked with a small smile.

Harry eyed him and returned the smile. "Yes, hi Draco. Is your shoulder alright?"

Draco nodded. "It is, thank you. What did you chat about with the Headmaster earlier?"

"Nothing important. He just came here to check on me, I think," Harry said.

Draco hummed in agreement. _Probably secret Dark Lord business, I shouldn't pry._ "By the way, Harry… good job with that snake, you saved us."

Harry shook his head in confusion. "That's not really true, you cast the spell, I just told it to attack the other boy instead of me. Wouldn't everyone do the same?"

"Well, I guess I would do the same, but the snake wouldn't really listen to me… Oh, what will you do if anyone finds out about it?"

"About what?"

"Your… _talent_ ," Draco whispered. "You know, Parseltongue."

Harry didn't seem to understand. "What's that?"

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Really, Harry, you don't have to pretend, I saw you use it."

Harry shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Draco, I don't know what you mean."

Draco sighed one more time. "Fine, whatever you say, Harry, I understand that you want to keep it a secret, I won't tell anyone." _I guess it makes sense, he just won't admit it to anyone. It's too dangerous for people to know that he's a Dark Lord now. But why not to me, he knows that I saw him already…_

The Dark Lord himself still looked confused as Ron and Hermione entered the Hospital Wing. They brought some food from the Great Hall, and gave it to Harry and Draco.

"Are you two alright? You both lost consciousness…" Draco asked after both he and Harry convinced everyone that they were alright.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, we didn't really suffer any injuries… by the way, please, tell me how you managed to defeat that Slytherin boy," she pleaded. "None of the students know anything!"

Draco smiled. _That will please Harry. Nobody will find out he's a Parselmouth._

"Oh, well," Harry started. "Draco cast a spell, a snake appeared, and I told it to attack the Slytherin boy."

Ron looked terrified by that revelation, the red-haired boy taking a step backwards and almost falling down. Hermione was just surprised.

_Oh… I guess the Dark Lord doesn't care about secrecy that much..._


	10. Chapter 10

For the following few days, Harry being a Parselmouth was the hottest topic among all of the students. Wherever they went, they were always being observed and scrutinized by many pairs of watchful eyes. Harry seemed to take it quite well, as expected from a Dark Lord. Ron was trying his best not to appear nervous around Harry, but he didn't do a great job of it. Still, the four Gryffindor friends stayed together.

They were in the Great Hall, eating breakfast, when Draco noticed that he was being observed. This wasn't unusual, but what _was_ unusual, is _who_ was looking at him from the Slytherin table. _Daphne Greengrass._ She was also a first-year and they had the opportunity to meet many times during their childhood.

When their eyes met, Daphne gave Draco _the wink._

_Oh no._

This meant trouble. The Greengrass family was known for their incredible wealth, which they accumulated because of their brilliant ideas. They had a sixth sense for knowing exactly how to monetize anything they came up with. Draco knew that _the wink_ meant that Daphne came up with something, and he was to be somehow involved.

Draco had the opportunity to witness many of Daphne's ideas as a child, and although he did make quite a bit of pocket money by helping her with some of them, they always meant trouble.

_I thought I have had enough trouble for the whole first term now..._

_Apparently not._

Daphne stood up and walked towards the four Gryffindors. This in itself was unusual, but with the recent adventures they had been involved in, by the time Daphne sat down next to Draco, most of the students were staring at them.

"Hey, who are you?" Ron asked loudly.

Daphne smiled at them politely. "I'm Daphne Greengrass, it's nice to meet all of you."

Harry and Hermione nodded at that, confusion visible on their faces.

Draco decided he needed to step in to calm everyone down. "Hey, it's okay guys, I know Daphne, she's… alright."

Daphne smiled at him. "Thank you, Draco. I actually came here to speak with Harry," she said.

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "With me?" he asked.

"What do you want with Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I have a business proposition for him," Daphne said smugly.

"A business proposition?" Ron repeated in confusion.

"Yes. Here Harry, meet me there today after lunch," she said as she gave Harry a small note. "Draco can probably answer some of your questions. See you later!" she said and walked back to the Slytherin table.

"What _was_ that?" Ron asked.

Harry glanced at Draco. "Err… so can you tell us something more about what just happened?"

Draco sighed. _So the offer wasn't even for me._ "Yes, I guess so. I knew Daphne since we were kids, and I can guarantee you that whatever proposition she gives you, you will make a lot of money. But the proposition itself might be a bit… crazy."

Hermione seemed unimpressed. "Could this be a trap? To get revenge on Harry?" she asked, looking at Draco.

Draco shook his head. "No, she's not interested in that kind of stuff. I can promise you that it's not a trap, she just came up with an idea on how to make some money… probably a lot of money."

"What should I do?" Harry asked, unconvinced.

Draco shrugged. "You should at least meet her and see what she came up with."

Harry nodded after a few seconds. "Alright, then I will do that."

* * *

For the next few days, Harry seemed to be very secretive about the situation. They didn't see him much, he was always busy, meeting with Daphne and discussing their idea. Harry didn't tell them anything, apart from the fact that he had agreed to Daphne's offer.

Draco was getting more and more annoyed by the situation. He wanted to spend time with the Dark Lord, but it was nearly impossible to catch him these days.

Fortunately, Draco had his loyal spies for exactly this sort of occasion.

"Crabbe, Goyle!" he caught them in the corridor.

They jumped a bit, but smiled when they recognized Draco's voice.

"Draco!" one of them said happily. "Do you want a report? Or do you have a new mission for us?"

"Both, actually. Did you notice anything interesting going on in the Slytherin House?" Draco asked.

"Yes, we did!" the fatter of them said. "There are rumors, very interesting rumors."

Draco waited for a few seconds, but they didn't say anything more. "Well, tell me, what rumors?"

The shorter of them nodded. "We heard some people say that Harry Potter is a parselmouth," he whispered.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "That's fascinating, anything more?"

They nodded. "Seemingly, Harry Potter defeated an older Slytherin using his powers, and the older boy was expelled. Draco Malfoy might have been involved," Crabbe said, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Draco sighed. "Alright guys, thank you for that shocking information. Good work," he said.

The fat duo patted themselves on their backs, clearly proud of their accomplishment.

"Well, since you two are clearly very capable," Draco said and the boys smiled at him, "I have a different mission for you. I need you to spy on Harry Potter. Follow his every move, try to discover what he's doing with Daphne Greengrass. When you find something out, report to me immediately."

Crabbe and Goyle nodded seriously. "We will do our best, Draco. Thanks for talking with us, no one else ever does," one of them said and they left.

Draco smiled sadly. The boys were truly nice, just very… dumb. Draco walked back to the Gryffindor common room slowly.

Upon his arrival, he immediately noticed that something was going on.

_I have a bad feeling about this._

The common room was very loud, and buzzing with excitement. Draco glanced at the notice board and stopped dead in his tracks. What Daphne and Harry were planning finally became evident. There was a big, moving poster on the notice board:

_Harry's ARMY is now recruiting! Study advanced magic under the guidance of the Boy Who Lived himself! The first meeting is completely free and open to every Hogwarts student!_

Draco couldn't help it but be impressed with his Slytherin friend again. He didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but he knew one thing—he was going to be there to witness it, whatever the price. And knowing Daphne, the price will be high.

_I need to ask Dad for more pocket money..._


	11. Chapter 11

_Dear Draco,_

_Thank you for your letter, we're very happy that you're having fun at Hogwarts. You're correct, it might prove beneficial to attend those "Harry's ARMY" meetings. I generously accept your request for more pocket money, because you will, of course, use it to broaden your educational horizons. You will find a few thousand Galleons in the package, alongside a few expensive pieces of jewelry. Don't tell mum about this transaction, I might be in trouble if she finds out. Have fun and make us (and the Gryffindor House) proud._

_Love you, Lucius_

Draco sighed and eyed the gigantic package. _I don't think my father understands the concept of pocket money._ With a few thousand Galleons, Draco could buy a grand mansion and still have enough to live a peaceful life without ever needing to work.

"Do you need any help carrying that?" Hermione asked as she looked at the enormous package curiously.

Draco tried lifting it by himself and found that he could do it with ease. "Thank you, but there's no need, my father must have used the feather-light charm."

After a moment, Draco excused himself and, carrying the package, started a long walk to his dormitory. The first meeting of Harry's ARMY was scheduled for the evening and most of the students seemed excited. Draco himself couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment. He wanted to be close friends with Harry, but for the last few days, the black-haired boy didn't seem to be around often. He attended classes with them, but apart from that, it was practically impossible to find him.

_It's alright. I will just make the Dark Lord notice me during the meeting. I will show him that I'm worthy of being his friend._

With some optimism back, Draco noticed that he was already entering the Gryffindor common room. He eyed the moving poster of Harry again and a determined look crossed his face.

_Soon, I'll be on the poster too, as the Dark Lord's best friend. And his right-hand man._

* * *

As the time of the first meeting of Harry's ARMY approached, Draco found himself looking at a huge crowd. Practically all students were gathered in front of an unused classroom that was supposed to be their meeting place. Students of all ages mingled, chatting with each other and exchanging thoughts about the boy who lived. The crowd buzzed with excitement at the prospect of studying under the guidance of the boy who defeated the Dark Lord. Some of the older students looked a bit doubtful but they were there nonetheless.

Draco tried to find some familiar faces in the crowd. He noticed his two Slytherin spies standing near him, eating what appeared to be a chocolate whale, the newest invention trying to copy the success of chocolate frogs. Draco grimaced as Crabbe and Goyle continued stuffing themselves with the giant chocolate mammal.

"Hey guys," Draco said as he walked up to the duo.

They noticed him and smiled, thankfully not trying to say anything while their mouths were still full.

Draco waited patiently for them to stop munching. "Is it any good? Or just… big?" he asked them, pointing at the half-eaten chocolate whale.

Goyle nodded energetically. "It's great! Mostly because it's so big, but also, if you put it in water, it transforms into an amazing chocolate drink, you have to try it Draco…" he said, clearly fantasizing about the taste.

"Well, I'll have to try it someday then," Draco said unimpressed. "Are you guys here for the meeting too?"

Crabbe nodded. "Everyone went here, so we decided to follow."

"How are you doing with your task? Did you find out anything interesting?" Draco asked, not really expecting anything.

"Sorry, we tried to follow Potter, but he's too difficult to find. But we did manage to follow Daphne the other day," Crabbe whispered.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "What did you find out?"

"Not much, unfortunately. She noticed we were following her and screamed at us for a bit. She's scary Draco, we don't want to spy on her anymore," Crabbe said, his cheeks a little red from embarrassment.

"It's okay guys, you tried your best. You don't have to spy on them anymore," Draco said soothingly.

"What should we do then?" Goyle asked, taking a big bite of the chocolate.

Draco thought about it for a moment. He had to come up with a suitable task for them so they wouldn't be bored. His musing was interrupted by a chilly voice which made the crowd go completely quiet.

"What exactly _is_ happening here?"

Draco glanced to his left and found the tall figure of Severus Snape looking straight at him.

"Hello uncle," Draco said with a smile.

The Potions Professor responded with a sigh. "Well?" he asked once more, his voice impatient.

Draco motioned at the crowd. "Everyone's gathered here for the first meeting of Harry's ARMY," he said nonchalantly.

His uncle didn't show any visible emotion on his pale face but it took him a moment to respond. "Harry's… ARMY?" he repeated slowly, as if not quite believing what he was saying.

"Yes, exactly," Draco said with good humour. "Harry will be teaching us all advanced magic for a small price. But the first meeting is free, that's why everyone is here."

Snape was still frozen in his spot, his expression empty. "I…" he started, but took a few seconds to continue, "I don't have the strength for this," he finally said and swiftly turned around, walking away at uncharacteristically quick pace.

"Uncle seems a bit weird," Draco said to no one in particular after a moment.

"Please don't make us spy on him," Crabbe said, panic evident in his voice. "If Daphne is scary, he is…" the boy paused dramatically, "... scarier."

Draco shook his head. "Don't worry guys, I won't. But uncle Severus isn't scary, he is actually really nice and—"

The sound of a door opening interrupted Draco's speech. The classroom was now opened and the oldest students took a tentative step inside.

"Welcome," Harry's clearly amplified voice could be heard even in the corridor, "to the first meeting of Harry's ARMY!" he spoke confidently. "Please, come in everyone, there's plenty enough space for all of you."

With a deep breath, Draco took the first step towards the classroom.

_I will prove that I'm worthy of your friendship._


	12. Chapter 12

While Harry waited for all of the eager students to come inside the classroom, Draco managed to find Ron and Hermione standing near the middle of the crowd. He waved at them with a smile and they waved back.

"Hi, Draco," said Hermione loudly, trying to be heard among the talking crowd.

"Hey," Draco replied, his voice just as loud.

Ron only nodded, perhaps choosing to go easy on his vocal cords.

Hemione seemed excited, her fingers fidgety. "Do you really think Harry knows so much magic?" she asked them. "I mean, even seventh-years are here, surely he cannot know more than them!" she finished, sounding scandalized.

Draco shrugged. "I think he wouldn't do this if he wasn't confident."

"Well, maybe his confidence is misplaced!" Hermione yelled just as the doors closed again, silencing the students with a loud thud.

Harry stood up from the chair he had been sitting on and eyed the massive crowd with a smile. "Welcome everyone, once again," he said, his amplified voice filling the spacious classroom.

Some of the older students were still whispering among themselves while eyeing Harry with moderate interest. Draco didn't want to be in their shoes, the Dark Lord wouldn't let teenagers disrespect him like that. Draco chose to ignore the fact that the Dark Lord himself was eleven-years-old.

"I understand that this might seem ridiculous to some of you," Harry continued, "learning magic from a mere first-year. That's why, before we start, I would like to prove something to you," he said and another wave of excited whispers erupted among the crowd.

"I defeated Lord Voldemort," he said calmly, while the students looked at him with a mixture of fear and fascination. "And none of you would stand a chance against me. Not even the Headmaster himself would stand a chance against me."

Nervous giggles escaped some of the older students. "He is delusional," one of the older Slytherins said.

"You don't have to take my word for it," Harry announced. "Let me prove it to you. If anyone here wants to duel me, just raise your hand, I will gladly assure you of my superiority. Any volunteers?" he asked with a smirk and eyed the students.

The students seemed to be frozen in their place, even the seventh-years properly intimidated. Nobody wanted to go first and risk being humiliated by a first-year.

_Brave like a lion. I'm brave like a lion. I'm a Malfoy and Malfoys are never afraid._

"Oh?" Harry said in surprise as he noticed Draco's raised hand. It was shaking rather badly. "I have to say I expected someone older, but fair enough. A challenge is a challenge. Come on up here, there's a dueling platform," Harry said and Draco walked up to the front of the classroom.

Draco's legs were shaky but he tried his best to appear confident. He tried to utilize the ' _I'm better than you and you're not even worth my attention'_ walk, taught to him by his father over the previous summer. Its effect was probably lowered by the fact that Draco was pale and sweaty, and his legs seemed to suffer from the Jelly-Legs jinx.

Using all of his concentration, Draco managed not to collapse on his way to the dueling platform and he stood alongside Harry, facing the large crowd.

"Good, you are very brave indeed, young Griffindor," Harry said and a few chuckles escaped the students.

"We are the same age, Harry," Draco said, his voice quiet and shaky.

Harry eyed him questionably. "What was that?"

Draco gulped and spoke up again. "We are the same age, Harry," he repeated, this time loud enough for everyone to hear.

Harry chuckled. "Indeed, indeed, we are. But are we the same when it comes to our skill? Stand there," Harry ordered and pointed at the opposite end of the platform.

Draco took a deep breath and walked. _I'm not afraid. I am not afraid. I will show the Dark Lord that I'm good enough to be his friend. I will show them all._ Draco glanced at the mostly unfamiliar faces of the students, all scrutinizing him and the Dark Lord. Hermione smiled at him, but she seemed quite concerned. _Nothing to worry about, I know what I'm doing._

"Good," Harry said and eyed Draco with a smile. "We will start the duel at the count of three. You are allowed to cast any spells that you know, your goal is to either disarm me, render me unconscious, or make me fall off the platform. Do you understand?" he asked.

Draco nodded nervously. "I do," he said.

"Well then, let us duel. On the count of three," Harry said and both first-years drew their wands and stood in a dueling stance. Or, in Draco's case, in whatever felt natural. His father never actually told him how to duel and Draco started to regret it deeply. _No time for regrets now. It's time to show them what I'm made of._ Draco grabbed his wand tightly, aiming it at the Dark Lord's small body.

"... _three!_ " Harry finished his countdown and Draco was quickly brought back to reality.

Before he had a chance to cast any spells, he saw Harry waving his wand delicately, and a bright light escaped the Dark Lord's wand, getting bigger and bigger until it— **THUD!** —Draco found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, his back hurting immensely. Draco's mind was a blur.

_He didn't… he didn't say anything… Ugh…_ The ceiling seemed to get darker and darker, quickly being swallowed by darkness. _Of course, the Dark Lord can cast spells wordlessly, what did you expect you…_

* * *

" _Worthless imbecile_ ," a quiet voice offered from somewhere close by.

Draco slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at yet another ceiling, this one in a very familiar shade of white. "Ugh…" Draco groaned, his body protesting against every movement.

"Oh, are you awake Draco?" the voice of his favorite uncle greeted his ears. "Excuse the language, I was just marking an essay."

Draco chuckled and sat up in his bed. He was in the Hospital Wing again, and he curiously noticed that all of the beds were also occupied. _Probably the rest of the volunteers._ Draco sighed as he remembered the events of the first Harry's ARMY meeting. He must have made a fool out of himself in front of all the students… _and Harry_.

"Are you feeling alright?" Snape asked, scrutinizing his nephew.

Draco shrugged. "Not really. But physically, I'm okay."

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Do you… wish to talk about something, Draco?"

Draco shook his head. "No, I'll be fine, just… need some time. Thank you for checking up on me," he said with a sad smile.

His uncle eyed him with an unreadable expression. "Of course. My door is always open if you decide that you wish to talk about anything, Draco."

"Thank you," Draco said quietly.

Severus sighed. "Then excuse me, I have to go. The Headmaster wants to visit me today, so I need to buy some sweets," he said and dramatically stormed out of the Hospital Wing, his black cape following his tall form.

Draco smiled after him. _Uncle always knows how to lift my spirits._


	13. Chapter 13

Not long after his uncle's departure, Draco also walked out of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey jokingly told him to stop visiting her so often, and Draco found himself wishing for the same. His steps were still a little bit wobbly when he arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall. Lunch was supposed to start soon.

Draco entered the Great Hall and spotted Ron and Hermione already seated at the Gryffindor table, eating and chatting quietly. Harry was nowhere to be seen. He walked up to them and sat in his usual spot.

"Draco, how are you feeling?" Hermione asked as the pair of friends both eyed him with concern in their eyes.

Draco shrugged and helped himself to a big portion of fried chicken. "I'm feeling alright, I should be perfectly fine in a bit. What happened during the rest of the meeting?" he asked.

"It was mad," Ron offered. "A lot of older students challenged Harry, but he defeated them all without any trouble," he said and paused. His face was rather pale.

"Is that all?" Draco asked, glancing at both Ron and Hermione.

Ron gulped. "Honestly, Draco… I'm kind of happy that he isn't here."

"Who?" Draco asked.

"Harry," Hermione offered and Ron nodded, not meeting Draco's eyes.

"He's scary, Draco," the red-haired boy admitted. "At the end of the meeting, he was duelling three seventh-years at once. Everyone could see that they didn't stand a chance, he was toying with them and seemed to be enjoying it," he continued. "I don't care if he's the boy who lived, no first-year should have that sort of power…"

Draco eyed his two friends curiously. _Of course Harry is so powerful, he's a Dark Lord after all._

"I think we should talk to someone," Hermione said after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Don't you think this is all very suspicious? Harry can't possibly be so powerful, there's must be something more to it! We should talk to Professor McGonagall or even the Headmaster himself—"

" _Chocolate Frogs_ ," the amplified voice of the Headmaster silenced everyone, even Hermione. The ancient wizard eyed the students with a smile. "Truly delicious," he continued to the puzzled faces of everyone, professors included. "It is such a shame that I can't enjoy them anymore. Unfortunately, as soon as I open the package, they tend to run away and I'm simply too old and weak to catch them," Dumbledore said with a comically sad expression.

"I don't think we should talk to him," Ron whispered and Draco chuckled. Hermione looked both scandalised at the notion of laughing at the Headmaster, and ready to agree with Ron.

"Truly a tragedy, that is," Dumbledore continued. "But enough of that, I don't wish to bore you all with the difficulties of being an old man. It has come to my attention that many of you were hurt yesterday and needed to stay in the Hospital Wing. Under normal circumstances, it would be quite worrying, but as I've been told, you were all injured in the name of training and pursuing your abilities," he said and nodded to himself. "Therefore, your injuries made me nothing but happy and proud," Dumbledore continued jovially.

Professor McGonagall looked ready to injure the Headmaster.

"However, since so many of you decided that I should be made aware of this ' _Harry's ARMY_ ' student club, I will attend the next meeting in-person to ensure the safety of my students," the Headmaster announced, and excited whispers again erupted in the Great Hall. "That is all," he said, finishing his bizarre speech.

* * *

The following day, Draco was walking slowly to the Gryffindor common room. His thoughts were occupied by the Dark Lord. Draco couldn't help but feel sad. Harry didn't hang out with them at all, seemingly too busy with whatever it was that he was doing. Without the black-haired boy, Draco didn't find much enjoyment in the company of Hermione and Ron. They were nice, but they just weren't quite as interesting as Harry.

Draco sighed. _Well, maybe that's the sort of company I deserve? I'm also just a normal first-year student, the Dark Lord doesn't have time for people like us._

His musings were interrupted by someone smacking into his shoulder. Surprisingly, it was the Dark Lord himself. The two boys stared at each other in silence for a moment, but a flicker of hope for friendship appeared back in Draco's mind.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he said sheepishly.

Draco smiled. "It's alright, I also should've been more careful."

An awkward silence fell across the pair once more, both first-years not knowing how to continue the conversation.

Draco took a deep breath. "Do you want to hang out for a bit?" he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. "We didn't talk much for the past few days, you're never with us…"

Harry sighed sadly. "I'm really sorry Draco, but I'm very busy now, with the classes and the ARMY's meetings. I have to prepare everything, it takes a lot of time," he explained.

Draco nodded sadly. "It's alright, sorry for bothering you, Harry. Anyway, you were very impressive back there, I really look up to you."

Harry scratched his head, looking quite embarrassed. "Err, thank you, Draco. I'm sorry, I really need to go," he said and ran off into the corridor.

"... Bye," Draco said, but the boy who lived was already gone. Draco slowly continued his walk to the common room, his posture hunched in a very un-Malfoyish manner.

As he arrived in the dormitory, he found the chubby form of Neville Longbottom sitting near the window, looking quite lost in thought. The boy noticed Draco entering and took in the miserable state of the blond wizard.

"Hey Draco," he offered.

Draco smiled sadly. "Hi Neville."

"Why the long face?" the chubby boy asked.

"Why the long bottom?"

Neville raised his eyebrows. "That was really lame."

Draco grimaced. "I know, I'm sorry, I'm in a bad mood," he said as he sat down onto his bed.

"Are you bored?" Neville asked, not looking at Draco anymore, instead eyeing the Forbidden Forest through the window.

"Among other things, yes." Draco glanced at the chubby boy curiously. They didn't interact much before.

"I have a mission for you," Neville declared suddenly.

Draco perked up at that. "A mission?"

"More-or-less. I need your help with something. But be warned, this mission is of great importance and could prove very dangerous and difficult. Are you okay with that?"

Draco didn't need much time to think. He needed something to do so he could forget about the sadness of being rejected by the Dark Lord himself. "I'm in."


	14. Chapter 14

The details of their mission were discussed immediately. The two boys sat down on a big comfy sofa in the Gryffindor common room and Neville went over what he needed Draco's help with.

"I have a toad, Trevor," Neville started in a hushed voice.

Draco nodded, silently wondering why the chubby boy was whispering. The room was empty apart from them.

"Yesterday, I found a note attached to Trevor when he came up to me in the evening."

"A note?" Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, just a little note. Here, have a look," he said and gave Draco a small piece of paper.

The blond boy eyed the note with interest. The handwriting was a bit sloppy, but he could tell that whoever wrote this tried their best. "Meet me tomorrow at 4 pm, I'll be waiting in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. Just take Trevor near the entrance of the Forest and he'll guide you to me. See you then!" he read out loud.

Neville took the note back from him. "It's weird, isn't it?" he asked. "I don't know who it is, or what they want from me."

"It's suspicious, yes. Do you think we should report this to a Professor?"

Neville sighed. "I don't know. It's suspicious and I'm scared. But at the same time, I'm curious. You know, Hogwarts has been really boring for me so far," he confessed.

Draco glanced at the chubby boy with interest. He seemed to be lost in thoughts.

"Everyone is doing something interesting, hanging out with friends and having a good time," Neville continued in a quiet voice. "But I'm not like that. Nobody talks or hangs out with me, I'm just alone and sad the whole time. But this," he said and waved the note in front of his face, " _this_ might be an adventure. I was too scared to go alone, but then I saw you and I thought that you also needed an adventure. So, I decided to be brave and ask you if you would like to go with me," he concluded, eyeing Draco shyly.

The blond boy was silent for a moment. He felt bad for Neville and for never approaching the lonely boy before. The chubby boy might not be a Dark Lord, but maybe he could be a good friend. And so, Draco nodded his head. "I'll go with you."

* * *

That afternoon, the two boys went out of the castle, Trevor held carefully in Neville's hands. There was definitely a hint of excitement in their steps, but also no small amount of fear in their heads. If they were caught in the Forbidden Forest they would be in a lot of trouble and they both knew that. Still, they continued walking, perhaps both not wanting to be seen as cowards.

"I'm really thankful that you agreed to help me," Neville said as they passed by a couple of older students. "But you know, it could be dangerous, we don't know who wanted to meet me, so if you prefer to stay away I will understand."

Draco shook his head. "It's okay, we will be safer together. And, you know, housemates got to help each other," the blond boy said, sounding a bit more confident than he truly was.

Neville smiled at him. "You're nice Draco, I'm glad that I spoke to you. I never imagined that I would like a Malfoy," he added quietly.

Draco eyed him with a grimace but decided not to comment. The boy was probably right, he would also feel scandalized by the prospect of being friends with a Longbottom before he went to Hogwarts. Still, after being sorted into Gryffindor, Draco decided that his father might not have been the greatest influence. The people in Gryffindor really weren't that bad. _And I am one of them now._

Some minutes later, the two boys arrived at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest. They tried to lay low, walking sneakily and making sure that they weren't seen. With the forest now before them, it was time for their mission to truly start.

"Are you certain that you want to go with me?" Neville asked once again, looking more than a little scared.

Draco gulped nervously, took a deep breath, and nodded. "We are Gryffindors. Brave like lions," he said quietly to the other boy's surprise.

"That's true," Neville said. "We are brave, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Draco declared proudly.

Ever Trevor seemed to be in a brave mood, as the toad made a loud sound.

"Then let's go," Neville said. "We have to follow Trevor, let's be careful not to lose him," he added and put the toad on the ground.

It seemed to look around curiously for a moment, not quite knowing what to do with itself, until it suddenly leaped straight into the forest, the two Gryffindors running after it.

"I didn't know toads are so fast!" Draco said in between breaths as the duo continued their run, trying their best to keep up with the toad.

"Me neither!" Neville replied, the chubby boy finding it difficult to keep up with the toad and the skinny blond boy.

After a few more minutes of running, Draco suddenly froze and Neville almost ran into him, only barely managing to avoid hitting the other boy in the back.

"Why did you stop?" Neville asked, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from his forehead.

Draco put a finger up to his lips. " _Be quiet,"_ he whispered. "There's someone there," he continued and pointed to a small clearing that was in front of them. The two boys were hidden by a big bush.

Trying their best to stay hidden, the pair glanced at the clearing. There was someone there, and after a moment, they could hear a voice, humming something quietly. After another moment, they could tell what the voice was humming.

It was a well-known song about flowers and their smells and beauty, often sung to little children. However, the voice they were hearing made it seem much less beautiful than it should be.

"Oh Merlin," Neville whispered and looked at Draco with big eyes. "It's Professor Snape… _and_ he's completely tone-deaf!" the boy sounded absolutely terrified.

Draco struggled not to laugh. His uncle was picking up flowers and singing to himself. If he knew that a student could see him doing this, he would be furious.

"We have to wait until he goes away," Draco whispered to his terrified housemate.

They kept sitting in the bush quietly, listening to more of Snape's horrible singing. After a few minutes, the Professor finally went away and the boys could breathe again.

"That was… _so scary!_ " Neville said, his body still shaking just a bit.

Draco nodded. "It's okay, he didn't catch us," he said soothingly.

The boys got themselves together, but soon realized that they were in trouble.

"Trevor!" Neville moaned. "We lost him!"

Draco grimaced. "He didn't stop with us… we have to find him," he said.

Neville sighed. "I think he went that way." He pointed. "Let's go."

"Let's go," Draco replied and the unusual duo continued their march through the forest, this time much slower.


	15. Chapter 15

Finding their way through the Forbidden Forest proved much more difficult than the two first-year boys had imagined, even in the daylight. Trevor was long gone and they could only count on themselves in order to find the toad again.

Because of the fact that they were constantly running after Neville's pet before, trying hard not to lose him, they didn't really get a chance to take in the sights and the smells of the forest until Professor Snape (and the risk of him catching them) was gone.

Draco didn't really know what to make of the infamous forest. They were surrounded by trees on all sides, their sizes and shapes getting more and more unusual the further they went into the forest. It was all rather eerie; Draco couldn't help but feel a tang of fear in the back of his mind.

Neville, on the other hand, looked like an excited puppy. The chubby boy was talking nonstop, commenting on every single interesting plant and tree that he could see.

"Woah, this is amazing!" Neville gasped, eyeing something that looked quite familiar to Draco.

"Aren't those simply blackberries?" the blond boy asked.

Neville shook his head violently. "Oh, they might seem like simply blackberries at first glance," he explained happily. "But if you look closer, you will see that they're quite the opposite."

Draco couldn't really tell why those blackberries would be of any interest to them.

Seeing this, Neville continued his explanation. "These are quite special. Found only in magical forests. If you drink juice from a specific amount of them, they're thought to improve your mood and health."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "What if you drink juice from the wrong amount?" he asked.

"If you drink too little, you just feel sick," the chubby boy said. "But if you drink too much, you get blackberries growing out of your ears for a week. That's why they aren't that popular."

"What's the right amount?"

Neville shrugged. "I don't really remember. Probably better if we don't try to make any juice though."

Draco found himself agreeing. The image of berries growing out of his ears was quite disturbing. "How do you know all this?" the blond boy asked.

"Oh, you could say that plants, especially magical ones, are my hobby. I like them a lot," the other boy said with a smile.

After a moment, Draco found himself following his housemate, who seemed to know where he was going.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked.

Neville glanced at him curiously. "Mostly yes, I'm following Trevor's path."

Draco was silent for a moment. He really didn't want to look stupid, but there was simply nothing to follow. "How do you know where your toad went? There's nothing that I can see."

"There is a slight disturbance in the grass and in the plants Trevor went through. I'm just following it," Neville said as he analyzed another plant.

Draco decided not to ask any more questions and just pretend that he understood. The other boy seemed to be particularly talented when it came to these sorts of things and Draco was left to simply follow and trust the boy's lead.

After a few more minutes, the boys seemed to finally reach their destination. Both of them stopped, listening carefully to the sounds that were coming from somewhere nearby.

"It's Trevor," Neville said. "He's… eating," the boy said in confusion.

The pair got closer to a big clearing from where the sound was coming from. Hidden behind a bush, they tried to glance at what was in front of them.

Draco, to his frustration, couldn't see anything. But by the look on his friend's face, he could tell that Neville was more lucky. Or maybe not, cause the boy looked absolutely terrified.

"What's going on? Is it Snape again?" he asked, taking a wild guess at what could potentially scare someone so much.

Neville shook his pale head silently. "It's way worse…" he whispered, "it's _a girl_."

Draco's eyebrows went as high as they possibly could. "A _girl_?" he repeated.

His chubby companion nodded. "A _girl_ …"

"What is she doing?" Draco asked.

Neville gulped, his forehead covered in sweat. "She's… giving Trevor snacks and petting him," he said in a scandalized voice.

With his housemate still frozen in shock, Draco took the opportunity to also take a look at the girl. She was sitting on a yellow checkered blanket, with a basket near her right hand and Trevor, happily munching on something, near her left side. Draco didn't recognize the girl, but she seemed to be a Hufflepuff first-year.

Draco found himself giggling. "Neville, I think you were invited to a date," he said, looking at the other boy with a smile. Draco didn't really know what a date was supposed to look like, but it would be probably something like this. His cousin told him enough about her favourite romance novels for Draco to kind of get the general idea.

Neville was still frozen. "A date?" he mouthed. "Oh no…"

Draco patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, you just have to talk to her, maybe she's nice and you'll be friends," he said.

Neville looked defeated. "That's what I get for wanting an adventure…"

"Hello?" they heard a girlish voice and flinched. "Is anyone there? Is that you Neville?"

Neville glanced at Draco, panic evident in his eyes. "Oh no, what do I do?" he asked.

Draco gave him a smile. "Just go there and have fun. At the very least you'll get some free food, I think she wants to have a picnic with you."

"Draco, but my hands!" the boy whispered in panic.

Draco looked at the other boy's hands and grimaced. They were very visibly dirty from all the plant and ground touching that the boy did earlier.

" _Help_!" Neville whispered, the boys running out of time.

"I know a spell but I don't know if it will work, it should help you clean your hands," Draco offered.

Neville nodded quickly. "Try it, please."

Draco took out his wand and with all the concentration he could muster, waved it in front of his friend's dirty hands. " _Scourgify_!" he cast and to their astonishment, it worked almost perfectly.

"Thank you!" Neville beamed and with an encouraging pat on the back from Draco, he emerged from the bush to the girl's happy squeal.

Draco decided that his work here was done and, not wanting to eavesdrop on his friend's date, he sneakily walked back the way they came from.

After almost half an hour of walking, Draco decided that he was utterly lost in the Forbidden Forest. He tried his best to follow their earlier route, but it proved to be impossible without his companion.

His stomach rumbled and he found himself jealous of his chubby friend, probably enjoying some nice picnic food. Draco sighed. _I should've just invited myself to the picnic, even if that would be rude._

As the boy slowly lost all hope of ever finding food and Hogwarts again, his musings were interrupted by a cold, harsh voice.

"Who is there?" the voice asked loudly.

Fortunately for Draco, it was a cold voice that he knew quite well. "Umm, it's just me, Draco, uncle," he said with no small bit of embarrassment.

To his relieved smile, the tall form of Severus Snape revealed itself from the shadows and his favourite uncle eyed him with some concern and worry.

"What exactly are you doing in the Forbidden Forest, Draco? Do you not yet understand the meaning of the word _forbidden_? Did your brain get shrinked because you hang out with your housemates too much?"

Draco didn't care that his uncle was insulting him. The boy simply went in for a hug, relieved that he at least won't be dying anytime soon.

"Err…" his uncle's anger seemed to have been forgotten already. "Let's get you back to the castle, you foolish child."


	16. Chapter 16

The following morning, Draco found himself in the Potions classroom, as usual working alongside Hermione. They made a competent duo, their potions earning them high grades and a good few points to the Gryffindor House.

"Just stir anticlockwise three times and we're done," Hermione said.

Draco nodded and stirred their potion with a confident hand. He gave Hermione a little smile and they both relaxed. They still had a few minutes before the class ended and most of their peers were still working.

Draco spaced out, thinking about his friends. Lately, Ron and Hermione were mostly keeping to themselves, and the blond boy noticed that they slowly drifted apart, no longer talking or hanging out as much. Harry was still as impossible to talk to as before, however to Draco's surprise, he seemed more stressed the last few days. _Perhaps even a Dark Lord gets tired sometimes._

His newest friend, Neville, seemed to be in a good mood. The chubby boy was trying his best not to make any mistakes with his potion, but Snape's constant stares and comments made it a difficult task.

Crabbe was failing miserably which wasn't surprising as the boy had to work alone. Goyle was in the hospital wing after he tried to eat a potion ingredient that looked a bit like chocolate. It wasn't chocolate and Snape didn't approve of the boy's explanation ("I was hungry sir!") and sent the boy to Madam Pomfrey.

"Draco," someone called and the blond boy's thoughts were interrupted. "Will you take our potion to Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.

"Sure," Draco said and carefully took the vial with their potion to the front of the classroom where his uncle was standing.

"Draco," Snape said as he glanced at their potion. "Stay after the class, I want to talk to you."

"Okay," the blond boy said. He expected a talk after he was found in the Forbidden Forest.

A few minutes later, the students slowly left and only Draco and his uncle remained in the classroom, standing opposite each other, both not knowing quite what to say.

"I'm sorry for going into the Forbidden Forest uncle," the boy started, his eyes fixated on the floor.

"You should be," the Potions Professor said coldly. After a moment of silence, he sighed heavily. "I don't know what is going on with you Draco," he said. "You look sad, and I understand that being in the House of morons and halfwits would make anyone sad, but it is really painful to see you like this."

Draco's eyes got a little bit teary. Hearing his uncle like this was something that Draco never wanted to experience.

"I wrote to your father yesterday," Snape said. "I expect he should send you a letter soon. I know that it is difficult for you in your circumstances. But you mustn't give up. Find some friends Draco, even if they are Gryffindors," he continued.

Draco nodded slightly. _Uncle must think I'm depressed._ "I'll try uncle," he said. The boy didn't know how the Potions Professor interpreted his walk in the forest, but he didn't dare to try to explain more. It seemed like whatever interpretation his uncle thought to be true, meant that Draco wasn't going to be punished.

"Meanwhile, drink this," Snape said and handed a glass of something to Draco.

"What is it?" Draco asked as he sniffed the liquid.

"Magical blackberry juice. It should lift your spirits."

Draco smiled at that, Neville told him about this just the day before. "Did you get the right amount uncle? I wouldn't want any blackberries growing out of my ears," he said.

Snape raised his eyebrows. "I didn't expect you would know about that," he said. "And of course I got the right amount, drink it all," he continued, sounding a bit irritated that Draco would doubt his measuring skills.

"Thank you uncle," Draco said and drank the juice. It was tasty and his mood was immediately lifted. He also felt that his legs were a bit stronger than normally, but that might have been his imagination.

After a quick goodbye, Draco left the Potions classroom and walked to his next class, Transfiguration.

_I hope nobody will try to pet Professor McGonagall in her cat form this time._

* * *

"Why do I always end up in Azkaban?" Neville asked with a good-humoured sigh.

Draco chuckled. The two boys were playing _Aurors vs Dark Wizards vs Giant Squid,_ a new board game that was quickly gaining popularity in the wizarding world.

"You should try to be more careful next time, it was obvious that my Aurors would catch you if you tried to kidnap the Minister during the day," Draco said.

"Exactly, way too obvious," a miniature Auror said from the board.

" _Ghttglglglgl_ ," the Giant Squid offered from its place.

"Be quiet would you," Draco said and the boys packed the pieces back into the box, not minding their loud protests.

They were in the Gryffindor common room, the day after their little Forbidden Forest adventure.

"How did it go?" Draco asked, taking a sip of warm cocoa.

"What?" Neville asked.

"The picnic," the blond boy said. "How was it?"

Neville's cheeks reddened a little. "It was nice, I'm glad that I decided to go. We ate some cookies and sandwiches, talked, and played a few rounds of Exploding Snap."

Draco smiled at his friend. "So you became friends?"

Neville shrugged. "I think so," he said. "But she seemed a bit irritated at me because I won most of the Exploding Snap games. She doesn't seem to accept defeat well. But maybe she was more irritated cause the cards exploded in her face a few times," the boy continued.

"That might have been it," Draco said, thinking hard. "But who knows, girls are weird."

* * *

As it turned out, his uncle had told him the truth, and the very next morning, Draco found himself getting a letter from his father. With a curious expression, the boy opened the letter and read its contents.

_Dear Draco,_

_I'm writing this letter because your uncle has recently contacted me with some worrying news. From what I understood, you are sad and seek risky dangerous adventures in order to feel some excitement because you think that that will make you happy. I don't know the reason for your unhappiness as you are a fantastic person in the best House of the best magical school there is. And, of course, you are the best son of the best father in the world. So really, you should be quite happy and proud. However, my only concern is your happiness, and if you think that these risky adventures will make you happy, then I will generously help you with your risky adventures. Included you will find a few books that I think might help you out and a special surprise gift from your incredible father. Open it when you're alone._

_Good luck and be happy, love you, Lucius_

Draco eyed the package curiously. His father seemed to have misinterpreted the events once again, but that was really to be expected. However, the letter still brought a smile to his face, and with the package in one hand and a piece of toast in the other, Draco left the Great Hall in order to find a private place.

Once he made sure that nobody could see him, he unwrapped the package. There were a few books inside, but the really interesting thing was the surprise gift.

Draco gasped as he read what it was. It was an invisibility cloak, the package looking a bit shady, but seeming to be of very high quality. _Father must have bought it in the Knockturn Alley._

Still, the boy found himself hiding the cloak carefully. It opened a lot of possibilities for him, and the boy couldn't hide his excitement as he walked in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

_With this, even spying on the Dark Lord might be possible._


End file.
